Sean Penn hates selfies and will under no circumstances attend a public event with more than eight people—which is why he was noticeably absent from the recent 98th Academy Awards, where he won Best Supporting Actor (his third Oscar).
These revelations emerged during a conversation between Penn and CNN anchor Caitlin Collins on Friday afternoon at Spring Studios in Lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Tribeca Film Festival, which ran from June 3 to 14. Penn is a regular at the festival, thanks in large part to his longstanding personal and professional relationship with one of its co-founders, Robert De Niro, and during the conversation, he was his usual candid and unabashed self, moving from topics like Ukraine ("they're going to win") to his newfound passion for woodworking and why he's become so much calmer since his wild younger years.
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But let's get back to the selfie.
After Penn praised his moderator, telling Collins that she "brought so much of what real integrity means to covering this president," and noting that "if there was ever any doubt about who would win the staring contest, I think this week was the deciding week," he proceeded to explain his absence from the Oscars.
«"It's not just that it's an awards ceremony," he said. "It would be the same if this group were going to a party after the ceremony and someone from them got in. For me, that always felt socially awkward; too many people. Now I've firmly decided I won't go anywhere where I'll be in a group of more than eight people.".
The problem is that at large public meetings, everyone is «given only 15 minutes,» which he finds «anxious» and «terrifying.».
«"Both times I've run, I've been relieved to win because so many people have worked really hard for it," he said, adding, "That's what politics is all about.".
Penn said he spoke with his co-stars in One Battle After Another before the Oscars, and they all agreed it would be "better for my mental health" if he didn't attend. So he traveled to Ukraine, where he's been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the country's siege by Russia and its need for Western support. Penn did watch the Oscars ceremony in Ukraine, where it began at 2 a.m. and lasted until 5 a.m., and said he was grateful he couldn't attend in person.
«"It was the first time I really enjoyed the Oscars," he admitted. "It was great.".
After attending this year's Golden Globe Awards, Penn decided to no longer attend awards ceremonies.
«"The best thing I could hope for was relief," he shared. "Knowing that this couldn't go on, I took another step this year. I went to the Golden Globes; I'd never been there before. And that's when I decided, 'I can't do this anymore.'".
«"This is the ninth person," he continued. "And this isn't some clichéd excuse like, 'I don't want to be surrounded by all this fake Hollywood,' or anything like that.".
As he left the Golden Globes, Penn was mobbed by people wanting to take selfies with him, which, again, made him never want to attend a public event with more than eight people again.
«"To the people never You shouldn't take selfies with anyone by whom . "It's bad for you; it's bad for everyone. It's soul-sucking," he said. "But what about a grandmother who survived the Holocaust and her six-year-old disabled child, coming in a wheelchair? Absolutely not.".
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